Color-pattern generating device



June 15, 1948. MCCALLUM COLOR-PATTERN GENERATING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Nov. 2'7, 1946 Jade/ 28 07 -Ro cr/aZ/m June 15, 1948.

Filed NOV. 27, 1946 R. A. M CALLUM COLOR-PATTERN GENERATING DEVICESheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 15, 1948 Robert A. McCallurn, Clarendon'liflills; :Ill.; "aIs-' signor to AI M ICIncorporated, ,Chicago, 111.,a

"The present invention relates to color-pattern generating machines-forproducing variegat'ed rotating color patterns. V q

Color wheels are used in connection with 'devices and displaysfor-arresting and attracting the attention of the .public.

Color-pattern generators of the prior art generally comprise afluorescent tube lamp, a rotating transparent barrel on which variouscolors are painted, a separate mounting on which the barrel is rotatablysecured, a speed reducer, a driving. motor and a mounting for the lamp.Such. generators. suffer. from. .three maj or; limitations: .First,.separatemountings must be provided for the barrel and the lamp, withresulting complexity in the arrangement of the parts; second, the lampand barrel are so arranged that the barrel must be removed from itsmounting before a lamp can be replaced; third, the tube leads arebrought out through apertures in the top and bottom members of therotating barrel, thereby presenting an unsightly appearance and creatingall the hazards attendant on proximity of flexible leads to movingparts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a color-patterngenerating machine or color wheel which has such arrangement that thelamp may be easily removed or replaced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very simple,inexpensive, easily assembled and installed color wheel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a color wheel whichrequires only one mounting for both the tube and the barrel.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a color wheelhaving no exposed flexible electrical leads and no complicatedarrangements for bringing the leads out from the lamp to the powersupply.

Other advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparentas the following description of the accompanying drawings, in whichthere is disclosed one illustrative embodiment of the invention,proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a preferred form of color wheel in accordancewith the invention, certain parts being broken away to show the barrelinterior;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the top end member of the barrel;

Fig. 3. is a top view of the novel color wheel provided in accordancewith the invention;

Fig. 4 is a front view showing the interior construction in detail; and

corporation ofMichigan 5 Application November 27, 1946, Serial No.712,626

2 Claims; (01. 240 10.1)

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the Fig. 1 color wheel.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1,5 therei areprovided in accordance with theinventions-a mounting H for detachably holding a fluorescent lamp l2, atransparent cylinder [3 rotatably and concentrically mounted on thelamp, on whichcylinder one or more colors are painted or dyed, andafriction drive [4."

The outstanding advantages 'of the construction provided in accordancewith the invention are as follows: First,only one mounting is requiredand the separate-barrel mounting is dispensed with; second, lampreplacement ,or barrel replacement isreadily an'd'quickly accomplished;third, electrical leads are not brought out in proximity to movingparts; fourth, the novel construction is very cheap.

Specifically, mounting I l consists of a vertically extending member 22,an upper tube supporting bracket 23, including a socket 51 and a lowertube supporting bracket 24 including a socket 56. Members 22, 23, 24,55, 56 essentially comprise a standard fluorescent tube mounting andfurther description thereof is deemed unnecessary. Secured to anupstanding side 25 of lower member 24 by spacers 26, 21 and screws 28,29, 30 and 3! is a mounting 32 for driving motor 33. Motor 33 may be ofany suitable type such as a clock motor. The motor has a shaft 34 whichprojects through an aperture in side 25 and frictionally abuts thebottom member 35 which is rigidly secured to and carries barrel I3,whereby the rotation of shaft 34 causes the barrel to rotate about lampl2. Secured to the other or top end of the barrel is a top member 36.

Member 36 has a concentric aperture 31 formed with integral downwardlyprojecting tongues 38, 39, 4d and 4|, the free ends of which tonguesrotatably embrace tube l2. Similarly, barrel end member 35 is formedwith a central aperture 43 and integral upwardly projecting tongues 44,45, 46 and 41, the latter tongues also rotatably embracing tube l2. Bythese expedients the barrel is rotatably mounted on the tube l2 itselfand the necessity for a separate barrel mounting is disposed with.

Various colors indicated at 48, 49, 50, 5|, 52 and '53 are painted on ordyed in the barrel, which barrel may be made of any suitable material,preferably a transparent plastic material. Members 35 and 36 aresuitably apertured as indicated at 51 and 58 to provide for circulationof air within the interior of the barrel and removal of heat generatedby lamp I 2.

The color wheel is set up for operation by slidlably placing thesubassembly of members I3, 35, 36 on tube l2 and then inserting the tubein the mounting 24, 22, 23, in the usual manner. Upon starting of motor33 barrel l3 rotates and produces variable pleasing and attractive coloreff ects as the light shines through the various color patterns insuccession. Shaft 34 not only causes the barrel to rotate but alsorestrains it against downward motion. The leads are brought out throughthe members 23 and 24 and thus the problem of bringing them out throughthe ends of the barrel is avoided.

While there has been shown. and described what is at presentconsidered'to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it willbeobvious to those skilled in the art that various changes andsubstitutions of equivalents may bemade without departing from the truescope of the invention and it is accordingly intended in the appendedclaims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within-thetrue and proper scope of the'invention.

Having thus described my'invention, I claim:

1. A color pattern generatingrdevice for producing variegated rotatingcolor patterns from an electriclighting source, comprising a verticallyextending member having an upper tube supporting bracket'including anelectrical socket, and a lower tube'supporting bracket including amating socket; a fluorescent lamp tube extending between the upper andlowersockets, and a color wheel consisting of a translucent coloredsleeve of substantially greater diameter than the fluoresce'nt lamp tubeand substantially co-extensiv e therewith, said colored sleeve beingrotatably mounted on the fluorescent lamp tube by a pair of identicalbut oppositely disposed fittings, each having a flange surrounding andclosely engaging one end of the colored sleeve, and an aperture closelysurrounding the fluorescent lamp; together with a driving motor having ashaft extending under the edge of the lower fitting of the color wheelwhereby the entire weight of the color Wheel is supported on the motordriving shaft, whereby frictional engagement between the lower fittingand the shaft will rotate the color wheel about the lamp.

2. A color pattern generator according to claim 1, wherein each of theend fittings of the color wheel engage the surface of the fluorescentlamp only by the free ends of a plurality of projecting tongues; andwherein the end fittings are addii tionally perforated so that airheated within the color wheel may flow outwardly through the upperfitting to admit cool air through the lower fitting and effectcontinuous circulation of air through the wheel to dissipate the heat ofthe lamps by convection.

ROBERT A. MoCALLUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references file of this patent:

are of record in the

